Push button spreader for salt, pepper, sugar, etc.



Aug. 29, 1961 w. KLAWITER 2,998,166

PUSH BUTTON SPREADER FOR SALT, PEPPER, SUGAR, ETC.

Filed Dec. 28, 1959 vuu h. F- E \hm i- 26 Um 28 30 \m 34 24 .nrT lWERNER KLAWITER A {To/aver I 5L4 INVENTOR.

United States Patent ice 2,998,166 PUSH BUTTON SPREADER FOR SALT,PEPPER, SUGAR, ETC. Werner Klawiter, Escan'aba, Mich. (918 14th St.,Greeley, Colo.) Filed Dec. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 862,272 1 Claim. (Cl.222-189) tion to provide a push button operated granular materialdispenser which is extremely simple in construction, efficient inoperation, and which will overcome the aforementioned difliculties.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a push buttondispenser which can be conveniently used for spreading various types ofgranular material over any desired surface without having to firstinvert the receptacle thereof by a simple pushing and releasing manuallyactuated operation.

Still an additional object of the present invention is to provide agranular material dispenser of the type described which is novel tooperate, completely sanitary, and which can be manufactured in largequantities at a relatively low cost.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of thisinvention will become apparent from a study of the followingspecification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a push button dispenser made inaccordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view of certainparts of the device shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse cross sectional view of the assembly shown inFIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, with the parts in a normallyclosed position.

Referring now to the drawing, a push button type dispenser 10 made inaccordance with the present invention is shown to include a main housing12 of generally cylindrical shape and preferably having a transparentside wall for observing the interior of the housing that forms a storagecompartment for receiving any desired granular material such as salt,pepper, sugar, and the like. The base wall 14 closes one lower end ofthe cylinder 12, which wall is provided with circumferentially spacedapart sectors of perforations 16 of proper size for accommodating theflow of the particular granular material outwardly therethrough.

A distribution plate in the form of a plurality of circumferentiallyspaced apart and radially extending sector elements \18 is rotatablysupported by means of a pivot bearing 20 upon the base plate 14 forreciprocating rotational movement between a normally closed and an openposition with the respective perforated sectors of the base wall 14. Thesize of each sector plate 18 is substantially equal in size to eachsector of perforations 16 through the base wall 14, whereby thedistribution plate in the normally closed position shown in FIGURE 4effectively prevents the outward flow of granular material through theperforations 16. However, in response to rotation of the sector plate tothe open position shown in FIGURE 3, granular material stored within thehousing 12 is permitted to pass outwardly through the perforation -16 aswill be hereinafter more fully described.

.PatentedAug. 29, 1961 :72 A pairgof circumferentially-spaced apartstops '21 carried by ,thebase wall 514 serve-to .limit the reciprocating;pivotal movement of the distribution plate between predetermined limitswhich define the aforementioned opened and closed positions.

A plurality of flexible, spring-like rods 22, each connected at one endto one of the distribution sector plates 18, is connected at itsopposite end to a hub '24 of an actuating plunger 26. The plunger 26 isslidably received within a non-circular opening 28 in a closure member30 which is removably secured within the open end'of the housing 12 bymeans of detents 34 which are positioned within dimples 32 formed at theuppermost end of the housing 12. Thus, both the closure wall 30 andplunger 26 are secured against rotation relative to the housing 12.Accordingly, a downward movement upon the plunger :26 is operative tocause a similar downward movement of the flexible rods 22 which arelonger than the distance between the hub 24- and the sector plates 18and arched toward the direction of movement of the sector plates 18 fromthe normally closed position to the open position. As a result, adownward movement of the plunger 26 results in limited rotation of thesector plates 18 in the prescribed direction between the normally closedand open position; a release of the plunger 26 allows the spring-likerods 22 to return it to the normally raised position, at which time thesector plates 18 are also returned to the normally closed position bythe flexing action of the rods 22.

It will now be recognized that movement of the sector plates '18 notonly opens and closes the perforation 16, but also tends to distributethe granular material through all of the perforations while constantlydislodging any particles tending to cling to the interior surface of thebase wall 14. This prevents clogging of the openings 16 and properdistribution of the granular material through the entire area of thebase wall 14.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to theconstruction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such isnot to be construed as imparting limitations upon the invention, whichis best defined by the claim appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

A granular material dispenser comprising, in combination, a main housinghaving a central granular mate rial storage compartment, fluent granularmaterial distribution means at one end of said housing, a manuallyengageable actuator carried by an opposite end of said housing, andmotion transmitting means acting between said manually engageableactuator and said distribution means for dispensing granular materialfrom said storage compartment to said distribution means, wherein saidhousing comprises a substantially hollow cylindrical unit having a sidewall of generally transparent construction, a bottom wall at one end ofsaid housing, and a removable closure wall at the opposite end of saidhousing, wherein said distribution means comprises a segmented circularplate defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart sectors,said bottom plate having circumferentially spaced apart perforatedsectors of substantially the same size and shape as said sectors of saidplate, said plate sectors being rotatable between a normally closedposition overlying all of said perforated sectors and an adjusted openposition providing communication between the interior of said housingand the exterior thereof through said perforated sectors, wherein saidmanually engageable actuator comprises a push button slidably carried bysaid removable closure for reciprocating longitudinal movement, and saidmotion transmitting means being connected between said push button andsaid segmented sector plate, and wherein said 3 4 motion transmittingmeans comprises a plurality of flex- References Cited in the file ofthis patent ible rods each connected at one end to one of said sectorsof said distribution plates and the innermost end of UNITED STATESPATENTS said push button, and all of said flexible rods being nor-572,362 Loryea Dec. 1, 1896 mally arched in the direction'of rotation-ofsaid sector 5 1,033,689 Fuchs July 23, 1912 plate from said normallyclosed to said open position.

